The Last Voyage of Captain Nancy Blackett
by Pixel and Stephanie Forever
Summary: When Nancy is killed in a freak accident, the friends all gather to attend her funeral. Deciding that laying in a church yard would not suit her, the last Amazon, the Swallows and the Scarabs decide to kidnap Nancy's body and give her a more fitting final resting place. (Rated M for safety)
1. A Death And A Plan

**A Death And A Plan**

JOHN WALKER – COMMANDER – HMS VANGUARD

ACCIDENT AT BECKFOOT STOP

NANCY DEAD STOP

CAN YOU COME HOME STOP

SWALLOWS AND PEGGY

John Walker, Commander of _HMS Vanguard_ looked at the telegram in his which had been delivered from the dockyard telegraph office. For him, the sounds of men going to and fro seemed almost a whisper as he kept reading the message over and over. A few tears came down from his eyes and splashed onto the deck below his feet.

"Ah, John, I thought I might fi–" the voice stopped almost as quickly as it had started. Captain Parham, _Vanguard_ 's commanding officer, stood in the hatchway of John's quarters with a look of confusion etched onto his face. He'd never seen his Commander like this in the months he had known him and instantly knew that something was terribly wrong. "Commander? John?"

"Sir? Oh, Sir! Am I late for Department Heads?" John quickly wiped his eyes and stood before his Captain.

"No, but I was just coming here to say that we've got orders to go into a minor refit. If its not too personal… What is in the telegram?"

"My fiancé has had an accident – she's dead"

"Good grief! Well, of course you can have leave this very minute. Get you gear together and I'll handle the paperwork" Parham said.

"But there is the refit to think about" John protested.

"Commander, to hell with the refit – there are more important things then the service. Now, get your gear and I'll see if I can get you a railway warrant"

"Aye, Aye, Sir" John said. "Thank you"

"It's no problem, Commander… I lost my wife during the war too, so I know somewhat how you must feel"

"Sir" John nodded and waited until the Captain had left before turning to pick up a bag to pack some clothes inside.

#

Several hours later, a chilled John stood at the train station and looked around as the last whisps of the departing train swirled around his legs.

"JOHN!" his thoughts were disturbed by the shout of Peggy Blackett as she ran over to him.

"Peggy" he gave her a hug. "I'm sorry about whats happened to Nancy... What... What happened?"

"There was a storm and a tree was picked up and hurled through the top floor of the house - she never stood a chance"

"Right" John replied. For some reason or another, he found it hard to comprehend the death of Nancy when he had seen hundreds of people die during the war. A good number of them had been by his own hands or by his actions. "Where is she?" he asked.

"The funeral home at Rio" Peggy replied, "But we're supposed to have her coffin back for a viewing" and John had a flashback to having to look on the grisely remains of crewmembers killed.

"She wouldn't like that" he commented as they left the station and headed towards the small Land Rover that was war surplus.

"What can we do though? Nancy would hate to be in the ground - she'd want to be buried at sea!" and John smiled faintly. "The others are all mostly here, but Roger will get up here this evening" Peggy continued speaking as she started the engine and began the drive from Rio to Beckfoot. John knew that Roger was in the Navy doing something with submarines, but he was not sure exactly.

"I'm looking forward to getting to Beckfoot" said John.

"Oh?"

"I want to get out of this uniform"

"Nancy always loved to see you in it"

"I know" came the reply. No more was said until the Land Rover reached Beckfoot where the Blackett sisters lived. " _Of course, I suppose that should be_ sister" John thought as he opened the door and got out.

"JOHN!" Susan and Titty ran towards him and gathering him up in a hug with some crying - surprisng from the normally stoic Susan.

"How long did it take for you to get here?" asked Titty.

"Overnight train from Portsmouth to London, another one to Crewe and then a newspaper train to here... about fourteen hours"

"I wish this was under better circumstances" Susan said sadly.

"Same here"

"You must be tired from all your travelling up here" said Peggy. "Do you want to get changed out of that uniform?"

"Rather" and the group trooped inside where John went into the room used by Captain Flint when he stayed over from time to time. As he changed out of his uniform jacket and shirt, John's thoughts turned to his deceased fiance and the life they had planned together. Christmas, the last time they had seen each other, had seen John pull out a ring and propose in front of their family and friends.

"John?" a voice called from the doorway. John turned and saw Dick standing awkwardly with a look of utter confusion and hurt.

"Dick" John crossed and shook the bespectabled young man by the hand.

"I'm... I'm sorry about Nancy - she was a good friend to me and Dot"

"Where is she?"

"Sleeping. The poor girl was tired by the time we got here this afternoon and I thought she would get rather grumpy if woken up"

"You heard about the plans made for the funeral?"

"Yes... I don't like it at all"

"Well I have been thinking about that" John sakd, "And I have an idea that is going to be risky and could land us all in jail"

"After all that I did during the war,I think I am due for a little bit of risk taking" Dick said.

"Well wake up Dot and meet me in the kitchen in five minutes" John replied. Dick nodded and left the room to allow John to change out of most of his uniform.

# # # # #

By the time that John actually made it downstairs an hour later, Roger had arrived and was nursing a cup of tea - Susan passed him a cup of his own. Because of their time working in the services or helping in the war effort, this was the first time that the Swallows, Amazons and the Scarabs had been together. A single place remained unfilled as if expexting Nancy to come thundering in and saying she had fooled them all.

"So, what is your plan?" asked Dot.

"Nancy once asked me to make sure she was buried at sea like a pirate should be. Now while we can not do that exactly, I propose that we sail _Swallow_ , _Amazon_ and _Scarab_ to the middle of the lake where it is the deepest and put her overboard"

"Is that legal?" asked Titty.

"No it is not" remarked Susan, "But Nancy was our friend and I think that we should do it for her"

"What happened to the sensible Susan we knew?" chuckled Roger.

"She died during the war" Susan said darkly and sadly.

"I have a better idea" Peggy broke the silence. " _Amazon_ was badly beaten up from the storm and it isnt worth fixing when I dont intend to sail in her again."

"What are you suggesting?" asked Dick.

"We take Amazon under sail to the middle of the lake and scuttle her - Nancy would love to go down with her ship"

"How are we going to get Nancy's body from the coffin to the _Amazon_ without anybody noticing?" asked Dot.

"We could replace the body after the viewing with rocks, hide the body and do the scuttling after the funeral" said Dick. "After all, we can't have an empty coffin as the lightness would be noticed right aw–"

"I have a better idea" Roger spoke up and the others looked at him. "Why don't we bury Nancy on Wild Cat Island? She loved that place as much as any of us ever did, and at least we could make sure nothing happened to where she was" and so it was agreed.

"Orders, Commodore?" asked Peggy smartly. She was sure that her sister was watching and laughing at the use of the term now that John was a naval officer.

"The fleet will store and prepare to set sail" John gave a weak smile.


	2. The Amazon Goes Down With Her Captain

**The** _ **Amazon**_ **Goes Down With Her Captain**

It turned out that simply saying "The fleet will store and prepare to set sail" was not going to do it. John, Peggy and Susan helped to patch up some of the holes that had been torn into _Amazon_ 's hull whilst the others set about organising things for the viewing the following morning. The actual service would be held tomorrow afternoon with a few friends and local neighbours in attendance. Once the friends were done, they piled in together to find enough rocks that could serve as Nancy's weight once they took her body out and hid it.

"Will she hold together?" asked Peggy. John was startled and turned to see her in a short skirt and a man's shirt. He was sitting in the boathouse finishing off a few bits of _Amazon_ 's sail and rigging before setting on the mast.

"At least until we get to the island" John replied. "The running under sail will shake the patches out of place, but it's not as if we want her to actually come back is it?" and Peggy shook her head.

"I don't know if it helps, but there are some old fireworks in the old garage here… Maybe you and Roger could put them together to make a scuttling charge" and John frowned before nodding.

"So we bury Nancy on the island and scuttle _Amazon_?"

"No ship should linger in a foreign port, John"

"Beckfoot is not exactly a foreign port, Peggy" he replied, getting up and stepping into _Amazon_ so he could start hoisting the sail to the mast.

"True…" the young woman sighed and gazed at the battered and bruised boat. "But it is the sentiment all the same"

"I'll ask Roger to give me a hand with it first thing in the morning" John said as he finished his work and stopped for a moment to see the three boats bobbing up and down on their ropes..

"And Titty as well" Peggy reminded him, "You know she handled detonators and stuff for the SOE"

"We don't normally talk about what happened during the war – too many bad memories. I worked with a couple of them and they all knew they were going to be found out, but each and every single one of them still did it"

"Come on, the… The undertakers will be here in an hour and I'm sure you'll want to wear your uniform"

"Not really supposed to wear it except for official purposes" John followed her out of the boat house and locked the door behind him. "I'll wear a normal suit and wear the uniform tomorrow when we bury Nancy"

#

The following day, after everybody had left from the wake, the combined group of Swallows, Scarabs and the sole remaining Amazon sat and finished the remaining tea as they gave John a few last minutes alone with Nancy. Before doing so, he'd gone up to where he was staying and returned downstairs with a single box – they all knew what it contained. He couldn't remember packing it into his kitbag back on the _Vanguard_ , but he'd decided during his fitful sleep that his fiancée should wear it in death, if not in life. Kissing the cold and pale lips of the one girl that he had ever loved and cherished, he finished dressing the body before wrapping it up in one of _Amazon_ 's torn sails. When the subject of how to get her down to the boathouse and then to the old campsite once they reached the island arose, Susan had silently produced a stretcher and refused to say where it was from, but said that it would not be needed again. Looking at his watch, John closed his eyes briefly to sigh and then walked out from the parlour and into the kitchen.

"It's time" he said simply. The others nodded as they stood and made their way to the boathouse – Peggy and John holding the four corners of the stretcher as they carried it and its contents down to the waiting _Amazon_ , _Swallow_ and _Scarab_. _Swallow_ and _Scarab_ , both with flags full mast height, slipped out of the Beckfoot boathouse before waiting in the river outside. Peggy and John loaded the stretcher aboard _Amazon_ sideways so Nancy's body was more or less sideways and resting on the gunwhale. The pair of them punted the small boat out of the boathouse where Titty waited to pass over a line from _Swallow_. As Peggy tied it to the for'ard painter ring, John looked over to the _Scarab_ and noted that both Dot and Dick were silently crying. From the looks of things, Susan, the most dependable and level headed of them all, was in much the same way. The three ship convoy moved slowly down the river into the lake where the tow rope was let loose and _Amazon_ raised her sail for the second to last time and slipped into the point of a 'V' formation – _Swallow_ and _Scarab_ at the outer edges like attendant escorts.

"Course, John?" Peggy asked quietly. During the viewing and the service that afternoon, she'd been very quiet – the folk from the village and the town decided the shock of losing her sister was not settling in yet.

"The fleet will set sail for Wild Cat Island" and Peggy nodded. She started to move aft to take the tiller, but she was stopped by a gentle hand from John. "Permission to take the tiller, Captain?" he asked.

" _Captain_?" she whispered.

"The others and I thought you should be in command" he said. A brief spark of their old childhood selves shone through his restrained grief as fresh tears spilled from Peggy as she hugged John somewhat fiercely.

"Thank you" and John went back and took the tiller – allowing Peggy to be with her beloved sister for as long as possible. With a good wind behind them, the three wooden ships sailed directly to Wild Cat Island – tacking only twice – and ending up at the place just an hour later.

Silently, the three boats went around the island before turning into the landing place and gently nosing into the bay with nothing but a gentle crunch of the sand. As they all carefully got out, their thoughts turned to Nancy and how she'd each touched their lives with exciting adventures and stories – they half expected her to jump up and say how she'd all had them fooled, but it was no good. To John's surprise, Dick and Dot moved to carry the stretcher from _Amazon_ to the spot they'd picked out at the Lookout Point. The pair of them had, with the help of Roger and Titty took the motor launch the previous evening and dug a hole suitable. Once the delicate bundle was lowered into the earth and the grave filled in, the seven of them stood around looking at each other as if trying to decide what to say.

"I guess I'll say something" said John. "When we first met Nancy, along with Peggy, she tried to shoot arrows at us. Then we formed an alliance and formed a friendship that lasted years. We got into a lot of fun and trouble together including sinking _Swallow_ , getting wrecked in the China Sea and then sailing home in a Chinese Junk, looking for rare birds and then our last trip before the war – sailing round the country in the _Navigator_. During the evacuation at Dunkirk, she took the ship out many times from Dover and helped to save hundreds, if not thousands, of troops from the beaches. I'd always fancied her, and we agreed that we'd get married as soon as the war was over, but then the death of her mother hit her hard and it took a while for her to think about it again. I know Nancy was not exactly a Church going person, but I like to think she's in heaven watching over us" and they all mentioned some tale of theirs regarding Nancy with the twins mentioning the time they had to face the GA and not say who they were. They bowed their heads in silent prayer when, to nearly everybody's surprise, Roger withdrew a small and battered book from his pocket. Covered in thick, black leather, it was clear to the others it had been well used over many years. Flicking through the pages, he came a stop and carefully began to recite the Naval Prayer for the dead. John shot a slightly bemused glance at his brother's seriousness, but perhaps his innocence, like all gathered round the grave, was a distant and waning memory.

"I guess there is just one more thing to do" said Peggy sadly. The others nodded and, with one last look at the new grave, they made their way back through the campsite and boarded the three boats. Carefully, the _Swallow_ and _Scarab_ turned round in the waters of the Landing Place before they attached ropes to _Amazon_ 's stern and towed her out into the open lake. The fated ship took the wind as Peggy, on her own for this short cruise, raised the Jolly Roger to the top of the masthead and slowly sailed round to a few cables off the island. Once there, she threw out the anchor as she knew it would be caught up in an upslope. The last thing she did, before stepping over _Amazon_ 's side to get into _Swallow_ with had moved up under oars alongside, was to strike a match and light the improvised fuse of gunpowder and paper before stepping over to join the almost empty _Swallow_ \- Roger and Titty had transferred over to _Scarab_ before they left the Landing Place. The two boats rowed a short distance away before turning side on to watch as the flames consumed _Amazon_. Roger and Titty had done their work right and the fuse had travelled to where the paraffin oil had been placed as well as the dry firewood. It quickly took hold from stem to stern and then went upwards from the bottom of the mast, taking the sail in seconds. All in all, it took the battered and worn out ship several minutes to settle into the water before the fire, which had started to die, reached the concentration of the old fireworks which broke a hole in _Amazon_ 's hull – breaking the dingy into two with each half folding up into the air and then plunging into the depths of the waters below. All that remained to show a once noble ship was once there were a few scraps of burnt sailcloth. Without a word being said, _Swallow_ and _Scarab_ raised their sails and heading north back towards Beckfoot – each of the seven thinking how empty their lives would be now that Nancy existed only in their memories


End file.
